In Another Life
by hanorah
Summary: Annie Cresta is just trying to focus on finishing college when Finnick Odair enters her life, complicating things in both the best and worst ways possible. A modern AU that explores the love that embodies Annie and Finnick.
1. In Another Life

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Suzanne Collins and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "In Another Life" is by Vienna Tang and I do not, in any way, own it._

* * *

Currently submerged in dreams revolving around accepting an ice cream cone from who she was pretty sure was Iron Man, Annie was blissfully unaware of the fact that the day had eased into mid-morning. Having had only just arrived back home from her dorm the day prior, when she had finished her last excruciating midterm of the year, she hadn't wasted any time before passing out on the bed that housed the mattress that she had spent years molding to a state of perfection. While she had taken the time to give her father a kiss on the cheek and hold some sort of conversation as he helped her carry some of her bags into her room, the weeks of preparation for her finals had more than caught up to her.

The previous year had been particularly difficult for Annie in an academic sense. Having had waffled when it came to choosing her major early on and sat as Undecided for nearly two years, she had finally taken the dive at the end of her second year and declared her major, much to the initial relief of her academic adviser until he found out that her intentions were a double major of Art and English with a minor in Secondary Education. The time wasted prior to that meant that she felt that she had some catching up to do when it came to some of her required classes and she had made the terrible decision to pack in as many credits as possible to do so. Needless to say, Annie was ready for a few months of relaxation and reprieve before diving in once again for what was hopefully going to be her final two semesters.

Classes and textbooks and tests and papers were far from her mind, though, as she was engaged in conversation with who she had determined was, in fact, Iron Man about the benefits of chocolate over vanilla. At least, Annie had been when the two sharp knocks invaded her dreams and woke her with a start.

"What – I'm awake, what's going on?" she asked through a haze, having sat up quickly at the sound of the knocks. Her long, dark hair was sporting a severe case of bedhead as she pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to block out the light of morning.

"This is your wake up call, Annie Cresta," came her father's voice through the heavy oak door that was separating them both. She counted herself lucky that he wasn't the sort of parent that would just barge in unannounced. "You requested one last night."

Dropping her hands onto her lap, Annie's brow furrowed as her initial thought was that she would never, under any circumstances, request such a thing. But then, as her mind started to recall the events of the previous evening, she realized that she had done exactly that. Looking across the room, she saw that her digital clock was boasting that it was just after 9AM. Given how early she had fallen asleep the night before, she couldn't fathom just why she felt like she could sleep until tomorrow.

"All right, thanks," she called back to her father. It wasn't until she heard his retreating footsteps that she allowed herself to fall back into her bed. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep her vacation away, but at the same time it was so very tempting.

With what felt like all the effort she was capable of, Annie managed to roll herself out of bed and to her bathroom. She had been given the bedroom with the adjoining bathroom at a young age, her father assuming that it would make things easier come her teenage years when she would assuredly need ample time in front of the mirror to get herself ready every morning. Little did he know that, his youngest and only daughter had no interest in that. It only took her a few minutes to get herself as ready as she was willing to get, with her hair pulled back into loose and low ponytail, her contacts in and allowing her green eyes to actually see her surroundings, and a splash of cold water on her face to wake her up a bit more. After she took her daily pills and changed into a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, she was about as ready as she ever would be to face the day and meandered downstairs.

As was usual, she was greeted upon entering the kitchen by a group of men. Her father was sitting at the table with his cup of coffee and newspaper, ignoring the hustle and bustle that existed around him, while the others were scavenging for anything that looked like breakfast. Annie stood in the doorway for only a few seconds before her presence was noticed.

"Annie!"

Before she had any time to protest, she was being scooped up by her oldest brother, Adam, and her other brother, Tony, was closing in behind him. It was easy for anyone that didn't know the family personally to assume that they were twins as they both had the same swimmers build, height, and the dark hair and green eyes that all the Crestas sported. It was even more confusing when their close ages were taken into account, with their birthdays falling in such a way that they were in the same grade in school. Annie was often told by her friends and perfect strangers that her brothers were good-looking, but she just thought they were a pain. Loveable pains, but pains nonetheless.

"Put me down!" she demanded as Adam lifted her off of her feet, his arms tightening around her to keep her from being able to flail but so much.

"No," Adam replied. She couldn't see it, but she just knew that he had a giant grin on his face and that only irritated her more.

"Not until you give an explanation as to why Capitol College is only a half hour away, but we haven't seen you since Spring Break," Tony chimed in, giving her the grin that was identical to the one that she knew was on Adam's face.

From the table, she heard a loud bark of a laugh that could only be from her cousin, Noah. "Gee, I wonder why she never comes home. You apparently try to strangle her when she does."

The laughs that broke out from that comment were enough for Adam to finally put her down and revert the hug into a less violent one. She returned the hug before breaking away and pinching his arm softly in jest. She did the same to Tony, who was waiting expectantly. Yes, they were definitely pains, but she wouldn't have changed them for anything in the world.

With her entrance now done and over with, the conversation at the table returned to whatever they had been talking about before and Annie was able to pour herself a bowl of cereal. She was used to their house being filled with people that didn't actually live there; her father's boating business was employed by mostly relatives, but even those that weren't were treated as though they were family. That usually meant that they were often invaded and any junk food that Annie bought and wanted to actually eat herself had to be hidden. She actually thought that the latter was why she had taken to eating health food; kale chips didn't get eaten as fast as a bag of regular potato chips.

Given that it was still May and the summer tourist rush hadn't quite arrived yet, the men were more relaxed and taking their time when it came to eating breakfast. Annie imagined that they probably didn't have their first appointments until later in the day. The business was called Cresta Tours, but anyone could rent one of their boats for the day for whatever they wanted – an actual tour of the nearby beaches and cliffs, diving further off the coast, fishing in some of the better spots on the coast, or just floating.

Annie pulled herself up onto the counter with her bowl of cereal and surveyed the scene as she took slow bites. Her brothers had sat back down at the table next to Noah. She also recognized Griff, her father's best friend since they were kids and business partner. He was loud and boisterous in all ways that Peter Cresta was quiet and unassuming. Annie thought that was why their friendship had lasted as long as it did. Next to Griff was his son, Tom, and then Noah's brother, Jonah. At the end of the table, eating a piece of toast and laughing at a dirty joke that Griff had just told was someone that Annie didn't recognized, which struck her as odd.

Unable to help herself, she found herself studying this stranger. He was undeniably good looking, which might have had something to do with why Annie couldn't help looking at him, with a mess of bronze curls that could have either just naturally fell that way or required a great deal of dedication to look both unruly and perfect. Even from across the room, she could see that he had eyes that were the color of the sea that she had come to love. His tanned skin made it clear that he spent a lot of time outside and he had the same body of a swimmer that her brothers had, something that could only be achieved by the right match of genetics. All in all, he was absolutely ridiculous; people who were that handsome didn't exist outside of movies, Annie reasoned.

"God, Annie, stare much?" Tony said with a loud laugh as he placed his plate in the sink next to where Annie was sitting. Those four words were enough to break her from her reverie and also instantly make her face flush. "Finnick's ego doesn't need any more boosting."

At the sound of his name, the handsome man looked up and grinned at her. "Shut up, I wasn't staring," she said to her brother, then looked back at this Finnick and repeated, as though she needed to make sure he heard, "I wasn't staring."

"Yeah, okay," Tony replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't worry. None of the ladies seem to be immune."

Annie could understand that and spared another glance in his direction, her stomach sinking when she realized that he was advancing toward where she was seated, too. She took a deep breath and practiced the calming techniques she had long since mastered in an attempt to keep her face from burning, but she could tell it wasn't helping.

"Hi," he greeted simply upon reaching her, his bowl slipping into the sink. He held out a hand to her for a handshake and added, "I am Finnick Odair."

The way he announced it, Annie thought, was like how someone might introduce themselves if they were royalty. It made her lips twitch into what was almost a smirk, but she controlled herself and returned the handshake. "Annie. You must be new."

He nodded, still giving her a grin that she had a feeling could have knocked over a lesser woman. "I've been working for Pete for about a month now." Finnick paused for a brief moment, his hand still shaking hers, and the he added, "I've been looking forward to meeting you. Your brothers talk about you a lot and, if you don't mind my saying, you're even more beautiful in person than the pictures your dad has out led me to believe."

The compliment was unexpected, although Annie reasoned that maybe it shouldn't have been. She pulled her hand away from his and hesitated a moment, before raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying that I'm not photogenic?"

This seemed to have equally caught him off guard, his grin wavering just a moment before he let out a laugh. Annie had a feeling that he wasn't used to anyone showing resistance to his charms. "Definitely not," he countered, leaning against the counter next to her. "Those cameras just failed to capture your beauty."

Annie was just about to let him know that that was probably the worst pick up line she'd ever heard, when her father set his newspaper down and got to his feet. There was an unwritten rule, she had noticed from many similar breakfasts, that when Peter Odair finished breakfast, that meant everyone else was done, too, and it was time to get to work. The others started to get up, filing out of the kitchen and giving smiles or waves to Annie in goodbye as they did.

Looking back to Finnick, she noticed that he was following suit, but looked back to her just before slipping out. "It was nice meeting you, Annie Cresta," he said with a slight wave of his hand, the wide grin back on his face and paired with a wink.

"You too," Annie replied quietly, although he had already left before she'd managed the reply. Her face was returning to what felt like a normal temperature and, she hoped, color, but she could still feel the aftereffects of that interaction. Slightly raised pulse. A surge of adrenaline. The strange desire to grin. Lingering hope that his showing for breakfast was a regular occurrence.

Damn it, Annie thought to herself with a shake of her head. She did not have time for that.

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_Hello, friends and welcome to "In Another Life"! I am excited about writing this and hope that you enjoyed the beginning taste. Reviews make the world go round and I'd love to hear what you think, so please let me know. Thank you for reading! - Han_


	2. Home

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Suzanne Collins and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Home" is by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes and I do not, in any way, own it._

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"Thank you for calling Cresta's Tours. My name is Annie. How may I help you today?"

Over the years, Annie had found that her father owning a small business like he did was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it meant that she never had to worry about finding a summer job. On the other, it meant that she had no choice but to take a summer job. Logically she knew that she needed the money if she was going to make it through the school year without picking up any part-time work, but even that backfired sometimes as she found herself driving the short distance home some weekends to do some odd work for her father to guarantee a cushion in her savings account.

Regardless of how she felt about it, today was not a day that she wanted to sit answering phone calls and smiling at customers as they came into the small building that was their base of operations. The customers tended to be manageable and those that weren't were usually only around for a short while before they left for their tour, but the wall of windows that she had no choice but to look through because of how her desk was situated gave her a constant reminder that it was a beautiful day outside, but she was stuck inside.

The workday was slowly coming to a close, though, which meant that Annie was so close to being free that she could taste it. As she explained rates to the interested customer on the phone, she heard the jingle that meant the front door had opened. Looking up from where she was scribbling notes, she recognized who had came in and gave her a quick flash of a smile.

"Sorry about that," Annie apologized a few minutes later, after hanging up the phone. The potential customer had decided to talk the prices over with her husband, after assuring her that they would almost definitely go with Cresta's Tours for the birthday party they were looking to throw.

"It's fine," Katniss Everdeen replied, waving one of her hands as though to wave away the concerns entirely. "Work calls."

"It did, but not anymore until tomorrow," Annie replied with a smile, turning off the computer and standing up. "Are you ready for girls night?"

The expression on Katniss's face reflected the lack of enthusiasm that Annie was feeling toward "girls night" so perfectly that she had to let out a laugh. It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out with her friends, especially since she didn't get the chance to do that as much as she wanted to since they had all graduated college while she was the straggler. It was just that Madge's idea of "girls night" generally meant that they were going to be doing a spa night filled with primping and sappy movies, neither of which were Annie's favorite things.

"Come on," Annie replied, shaking her head as she reached for her purse. "We'll survive together."

She led the way through the building and out onto the dock. Annie paused to give a wave toward her brother, Adam, who was waxing his boat, when she noticed another emptying of passengers. Finnick jumped down onto the dock, shaking the hands of some of the patrons and giving goodbyes before securing the boat to the dock. Annie started toward the parking lot, but was stopped by Katniss.

"Hang on. Is that Finnick Odair?"

Although she already knew the answer to that question, Annie still gave a glance back toward where he was standing and nodded once. "Yeah. I guess my dad hired him back in April. Do you know him?"

"Not personally," Katniss shook her head, looking back to Annie and starting the walk down the dock again. "I thought everyone had heard of him, though."

Annie paused when she said that, thinking it over. "His name does sound familiar."

"Yeah, he was... two years ahead of you in high school? Three for me, so I don't know a whole lot about him. He was on the football team, swim team, the works. I had heard that he had moved to New York or somewhere liked that for some kind of modeling thing. I don't know."

As Katniss spoke, a picture of the teenager that had been Finnick Odair was resurfaced in Annie's memory. It didn't surprise her that she didn't remember him; after the accident early on during her sophomore year, the rest of her time in school had passed in a haze. Even before that, most of her time was spent in the art room, rather than pep rallies and sports games. But as she thought about it more now, she remembered that he had been something of the golden boy of Panem High School.

"I wonder why he came back," Annie said after a long moment of quiet as they reached Katniss's car. As she spared one final glance at him in the distance, she couldn't help but think that there couldn't have been problems with him in the modeling industry – a thought that she immediately chastised herself for having.

Katniss just shrugged in response as she unlocked the door. "Who knows. Maybe you should ask him."

"The one and only time I've talked to him, he used cheesy flirting techniques and it was in my kitchen. I don't think so." There was no hesitation as Annie shot down that particular suggestion.

"The kitchen, you say," Katniss replied, giving Annie a small smirk. "How romantic."

Annie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but still managed to give her friend a look. "Drive, please."

**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**

"Oh, Mr. Odair, that was truly an amazing adventure," the tall woman sporting a bleach blonde look that was clearly not natural due to the dark color of her eyebrows was saying as Finnick offered a hand to help her and her friends climb out of the boat. He couldn't remember her name, although he had a feeling he should have.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it," he replied, flashing her his most winning smile that just came naturally to him. He recognized the pause and then the returned grin; that was generally the response when he unleashed that particular smile. "Promise me that if you ever feel like adventuring again, you'll give us a call. If I don't see you again, I'll be severely disappointed."

The woman let out a giggle before turning to give her husband a look. He didn't look nearly as amused by his behavior as his wife did, but Finnick didn't care; she was going to be the reason they hired him again, after all.

As the couple took off back down the dock, the husband talking to his wife in hushed tones about things that Finnick could almost certainly imagine, he noticed two figures leaving the main building up the dock. He didn't know who the woman sporting the braid was, but he did recognize the other as Annie. He had become something of an expert when it came to seeing her from afar as that was the only way he saw her. A few weeks had passed since their initial introduction and, despite not talking to her since then, Finnick had grown intrigued. Not that he shouldn't have, as there was clearly no reason for it, but there was something about her that he found interesting. Maybe it was because she was so severely off limits, what with her being the only daughter of his boss and sister of two of his coworkers. Maybe it was because it had been way too long since he had gotten any. Or maybe it was because she wasn't falling all over herself to get his attention, like too many women that he met.

Regardless, none of that mattered. Finnick wasn't back in his hometown to try and catch the attention of a someone that clearly wasn't interested, even if the challenge itself was tempting. Glancing once at his wrist to catch the time on his watch, he hurried through the tasks he needed to complete before clocking out and then hurried home.

Home for Finnick was a small two bedroom house that was just a stone's throw away from the coast. The house was a far cry from the large manor that he had grown up on that had a beach all to itself, but was a pleasant change of pace from the tiny studio walk up that he couldn't always afford in New York City. It had looked just like he remembered it from his youth, except he couldn't help but feel a tug in his heart when he noted that the flower beds were grown over with weeds from not being cared for diligently by their gardener like they usually were.

After parking his car in the driveway and making his way into the house, Finnick kicked off his shoes at the front door and called, "Mags, I'm home!"

There was no actual response, but that wasn't abnormal. She had never understood why he announced his arrival, when "I can hear the front door open and close just fine". That had never stopped him from calling out, though. Finnick had a feeling that the first time he did that, she would assume he was a burglar and would act before asking questions.

He walked through the small house into the kitchen, where Magda Woge was sitting at a small table with a cup of tea and a book. She looked up to give him a smile as he leaned down to kiss her cheek in greeting.

"Did you have a good day?" she asked, her speech slow, but easy enough for Finnick to understand.

He shrugged noncommittally, sitting down in the chair opposite from where she was seated. This had become their routine since he had come back to Panem a few months previous and he had come to enjoy it more than he thought possible. There was a comfort in it. "For the most part. I did two tours, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Nothing too exciting to report." He leaned forward, tipping up her book to peer at the title on the spine. "Another bodice-ripper?"

The look that Mags gave him was one that was reserved only for him; a mixture between amused and bewildered. "Don't you go knocking my reading choices. Soon I'll have to resort to audio books and you'll be forced to listen to them."

Finnick gave Mags a grin. "Just so long as you're not forcing me into listening to something about fifty shades of anything, I won't complain."

"Good boy," Mags replied. "Leftovers for dinner."

"No complaints here," Finnick assured her, standing up again. "I'm going to take a shower and then can help you heat them up." As he walked around her, he bent down to press another kiss to the top of her head.

As Finnick took the steps up to his bedroom two at a time, his gaze barely lingered over the photographs that lined the walls of the stairwell. There were pictures of people that he had never met, but had heard story upon story about from Mags when he was growing up. Her husband had died when they were barely out of the newlywed stage, leaving her alone with their newborn son. Tragedy struck again when the boy was just barely in his teens due to lifelong illness, leaving Mags alone. As sad as the story was, it had always struck Finnick as interesting that she never dwelt on that part; she only looked back on those memories fondly. He wondered if that was because of the many years that had passed since the events occurred or if she was just that good of a person. He had a feeling that it was a little of both.

Most of Finnick's earliest memories revolved around Mags. She was his nanny, although it wasn't until he was about three-years-old that he realized that she wasn't his mother. He, along with his younger sister, was more or less raised by the woman, his own mother more concerned with planning parties and events for her many social clubs and his father at the office until late hours of the night. It wasn't a sad existence, nor was it a lonely one. While Finnick might have craved a relationship with his actual parents in his youth, and that need for one might have explained his general behavior as a teen, he found himself not in want for love as it was given unconditionally by Mags.

She was the only reason that he wondered if he was making the right decision in leaving Panem only a few days after graduation. Finnick didn't feel anything in particular when breaking up with his younger sort-of-girlfriend, Glimmer, and saying goodbye to his friends, but he didn't want to leave Mags. By then, the Odair children had grown out of the need for a nanny and she had retired completely, but he had spent much of his time at her house – this house. It had always been somewhere he could go when he felt the pressure of his home, of the act he played at school and with friends, of everything else around him closing in. Mags was a comfort.

That was why, after moving to New York City to get away and find his own path, it was Mags that he came home to visit every Christmas holiday; not that he would have been welcome at his parents' home anyway. It was Mags that got the daily phone calls. It was Mags that sent him care packages and an occasional check to make sure he was eating. It was Mags that brought him back to his hometown without a second thought, when he received a call that she had a second stroke and, unlike the first, had suffered side effects that would make living on her own difficult.

Giving up on New York City hadn't been a question for Finnick. His life there had been difficult and one that he was working on trying to forget, although it was difficult to do that when he had only been back home a handful of months.

As he pushed the door open to his bedroom, Finnick let out a long sigh. Moving back to Panem hadn't been in the plan, but none of his plans seemed to pan out the way they were supposed to. The football scholarship, the modeling contract, the life in the Big City. Mags often told him that there was a higher power that had their eye on him and that something wonderful would come his way soon enough, but at twenty-five, he couldn't help but feel a bit impatient for this so-called "wonderful thing". However, as much as he sometimes hated to admit it, Mags was usually right about everything. Maybe she'd be right about this, too.

**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**

"So, Annie," Delly Cartwright started, looking up from her toes, which she was currently painting a rather bright shade of pink. "Did you miss us terribly this year?"

Annie was currently seated on the entirely too comfortable sofa in Madge Undersee's apartment, surrounded by the young women that she had come to call her friends. Her high school career hadn't left her with an excess of friends, but college had allowed her to come out of her shell a bit and meet some new people. Her first friend had been Lavinia Oldjoy, the pretty redhead who was sitting on the floor in front of Annie and painting her nails for her. They had been roommates and the odd ones out on their floor, with Annie still coping with the events from high school and Lavinia being mute. They became fast friends, though, when Annie demonstrated that she was able to sign.

The rest of her friends didn't come around until the next year. Annie had met Katniss by chance in the dining hall, when they accidentally sat down at the same table at the very same time. Katniss was soon joined by one her of friends, Madge, and the three began talking and soon met up for meals frequently. Her friendship with them sparked one with neighborhood friends of them both, Delly and Leevy Keene. Having friends had been so strange a concept to Annie at first and even now, after knowing them all for several years, she was a bit surprised by it.

"I did," Annie admitted, giving Delly a small smile. "Living on campus without any of you around got old really fast. The only nice thing about taking my time to graduate is that I finally get a first pick to land a dorm by myself."

"I just hate that we don't get to meet up as often as we used to," Madge said, pulling her face into a slight pout. "It was so much easier when we all lived down the hallway from each other."

It was easy for Annie to nod her agreement toward that statement. The year had been a bit lonely at times; if it hadn't been for the massive workload she had piled onto herself as a distraction, it would have almost certainly been much harder for her.

"Well, Annie's back for the summer!" Delly pointed out with a wide smile that was almost always present on her face. "I think that means we need to make plans!"

"Just keep in mind that Annie has a job this summer, too," Annie added, tipping her fingers from side to side to help Lavinia paint her nails evenly.

"Don't you rain on my parade, Annie Cresta. We're all mostly working, too – if we can make it work, so can you." When Annie looked up to glance at Delly, she could already see the wheels turning.

"Oh – wait, wait, everyone be quiet!" Leevy said suddenly, reaching forward for the remote control for Madge's television. "This is the best part."

Annie and the other girls looked toward the movie that was playing that Leevy had insisted upon. On the screen, Andrew Lincoln was expressing his love for Keira Knightley through posters. "I don't know why you wanted to watch this, Leevy. Isn't 'Love Actually' technically a Christmas – "

Before she could finish the sentence, Annie was interrupted by a chorus of hushes from her friends, which drew a smile from her. She looked back toward where Katniss was sitting, no nail polish on her fingernails as she had stood her ground, and they exchanged an amused look. They were all a bit different in their own way, but they were still Annie's friends. Just as they accepted her for all of her quirks, she did the same for them, even if that included love bordering on obsession for romantic comedies that she had never been able to understand. That was okay, though. She wouldn't trade them for the world.

* * *

_Confession: I love "Love Actually"._

_That off my chest, hello again so soon! I had this chapter written up right away and I was waffling on whether or not I wanted to put it up so soon after the first or if I should hold off and I decided that since it was very similar to the first chapter, in that it has some history and set up involved, I would go ahead and put it up. After this, I'm aiming for a chapter once a week. It might be sooner or later, depending on my own schedule, but just so you know what to expect! Along the lines of what to expect, the next chapters will begin to delve into Annie and Finnick together, rather than their lives apart or prior to meeting. There is a lot that we have to find out about them both, but that will be coming as they get to know one another._

_Also, thank you very much for the reviews! Feedback is most welcome and reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, so please don't be shy. God only knows that I'm not. :)_


	3. A Dustland Fairytale

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Suzanne Collins and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "A Dustland Fairytale" is by The Killers and I do not, in any way, own it.  
_

* * *

If Annie had to choose her favorite time of the year, it would always be June. There was something about the hot weather, which was in such stark contrast to the cold and sometimes harsh winter and all of the painful memories those months held, that left her feeling invigorated – alive, even. It was before the truly hot weather and the tourists arrived, meaning that the beaches were still enjoyable._  
_

Days off became more difficult to manage as the summer wore on and business picked up at her father's business, but Mondays were always a given as they were completely closed for appointments on that day. While Annie might have preferred a less useless day to have off, she wasn't about to complain as she didn't want her father getting any ideas and deciding that maybe Mondays shouldn't be a day of rest. The main downside of having a non-weekend day off was that all of her friends had jobs that dictated a more or less Monday through Friday schedule, leaving Annie to her own devices.

On this particular Monday, Annie decided to take advantage of the relatively crowd-free beaches that dotted the coastline of their city. Although she wasn't one for laying in the sun for hours upon hours to achieve a healthy glow (mostly because "healthy glow" was not something her skin could ever boast having, as her fair complexion left her burning more frequently than tanning), she wasn't against walking the shore. Clad in a pair of jean shorts, a green bikini top, and a pair of sunglasses, she had been doing exactly that for about an hour when she recognized the shirtless man that was running toward her from the opposite direction she was walking. She felt a slight panic rise within her as he clearly recognized her at the same time, his pace slowing as he neared her.

"Hey, Annie," Finnick greeted, coming to a complete stop in front of her which forced her to also come to a stop. On a normal occasion she would have found it irritating, but it wasn't as though she was in any kind of hurry or had an actual destination in mind. Besides that, they had started to actually acknowledge one another at work and when he was foraging for food in their kitchen in the mornings. It made her feel a bit more at ease, even if she hadn't been anticipating company in the shape of Finnick that afternoon.

"Hi," Annie replied with a small smile, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear that was blowing in the breeze off of the ocean. "Out for a run?" She immediately chastised herself internally after the words left her mouth; of course he was out for a run, Annie. Hadn't she just seen him doing exactly that?

Lucky for her, he didn't seem to be overly concerned with the obvious answer to her question. Instead, he just nodded and flashed her a smile in return. "I was, but I'm ready for a walk now. Can I join you?" He gave her another smile, this one amped up even more than the first.

"Sure," Annie agreed, not hesitating before taking a step forward in the direction she had been previously wandering. Unable to help herself, she voiced her thoughts as a teasing question. "Does that smile work on everyone or am I just a giant sucker?"

Finnick let out a laugh. "It's pretty fail proof. Nine out of ten, I'd say."

Annie didn't doubt it. While she had found that Finnick was polite enough when it came to wishing her a good morning or good night, depending on if it was the start or end of the work day, that hadn't dulled the fact that he was ridiculously good looking. After Katniss had mentioned that he had only been a few years ahead of her in high school, she had indulged herself and pulled out her yearbooks. She found that her friend hadn't been exaggerating and it dislodged a few more memories from those years. His group of friends had been mostly made up of people that she never wanted to see again after years of teasing and outright bullying, but she had never had a problem with Finnick himself.

"So, how long have you been back in town?" Annie asked, trying to start some idle conversation after they fell into silence for a moment too long. "I heard that you'd been in New York City for a while."

"February," Finnick replied. "I was in New York for a few years, but I figured it was time to come home."

"Did things just not pan out or...?" Annie paused for a moment, then caught herself and instantly panicked. "Oh, I'm sorry – I'm not trying to pry or anything. I'm just cursed with being too curious about everything."

Again, she felt great relief as Finnick just laughed in response, even if that laugh was probably because of her panic than anything else. "It's fine. Things weren't going the way I had expected them to and I had some family issues back here that I had to take care of."

"Do you think you'll ever go back?"

At that, Finnick just shrugged and gave her another quick smile. "Trying to get rid of me so soon, Miss Cresta?"

The smile caught her off guard and, quite without her permission, she felt a flush flood her cheeks and she had to look away from his gaze before she could string together an answer. "No, ah – no. Just curious again. It seems like it would be a lot more exciting than here."

She half expected Finnick to be giving her an amused look given her blushing reaction, but instead she was surprised to see that he was looking pensive instead. It lasted just a brief moment, before he realized that he was watching her and his grin took over his face again. Just a splint second of what could have almost been vulnerability. Had she not been standing so close to him, she might have thought that she had made it up in her mind.

"Just about anything is more exciting than here," he countered, giving her a cheesy wink. "It's still home, though. And it's where the heart is and all of that other cliché crap." Before Annie could have a chance to ask another question, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was done on purpose, Finnick instead asked her one himself. "What about you? Your brothers said you're going to Capitol College for school, yeah? Why did you stick around so close to home?"

It was a valid question and one that Annie asked herself sometimes. "I don't know, really. At first I didn't really know what I wanted to do and if college was even going to work out for me, so I didn't want to stray too far from home. Once I found my spot, though, I couldn't imagine going anywhere else. Maybe I would have felt that way at any campus, though. Who knows."

"And you're going to be a teacher, right?"

This time Annie flashed him a smile, although she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't knocked out like she had been, which seemed wholly unfair. "You've done your homework."

"A future teacher _would_ say that," Finnick teased, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You caught me," Annie laughed, shaking her head. "I want to be an Art teacher. Or maybe an English teacher. I don't know, so I'm studying both so I can decide later on. Or maybe I'll end up deciding I don't want to do either. Maybe I'll just be a starving artist. Or maybe I'll get a sensible office job. Or maybe I'll become an actress... I don't know." She turned her head slightly, giving him an easy smile.

Even as she smiled, Annie knew that this was all quite odd. It wasn't that she didn't have friends and it wasn't that she was anti-social, but it usually took her an extended amount of time to feel comfortable to be truly candid with someone. Their quick exchanges hardly counted toward getting to know one another, but she felt a true ease around Finnick that she hadn't felt around anyone else in her twenty-three years. It had always been that way for her, even before the accident, and she wasn't sure how to describe it. She didn't even know if his smiles and jokes were genuine or if this was just a complicated way to suck up to her father, but just his presence put her at ease and that was strange enough, given that she was usually reduced to a stammering mess around men that looked as though they had stepped straight out of a leading role in one of the sappy romantic comedies that Leevy was obsessed with.

But even as she finally ran out of words and those thoughts filled her mind, Annie half expected him to take off running. Instead, he just smiled. The smile was different. His other grins seemed to show off his teeth and oozed with charm. This was a charming smile, but it was smaller. More sincere. Annie ignored the flutter in her stomach.

"I can relate," Finnick finally said, tipping his head to the side and still giving her that smile.

They continued that way, exchanging playful banter and not really talking about anything of consequence, until Annie lost track of the time. Their feet took them along the coastline, occasionally circling back and then around again until the afternoon sun began to dip lower and lower so the white sand beach was flooded in the orange glow of evening. Her father would surely be wondering where she was, given that she told him that she would only be a few hours, but Annie couldn't bring herself to care. Even though the earlier moment had passed where his smile had shrunk into something more sincere and he occasionally made comments that she knew had to have worked on other girls, but just made her roll her eyes, the ease continued.

At least, it continued until they were interrupted.

Annie was in the middle of telling Finnick about her childhood rabbit of all things, when they heard her: "Oh my God, Finnick Odair, _is that you_?"

As lost as she was in a world that only occupied herself and Finnick, Annie looked up with a startled expression on her face and they both stopped walking. She saw the young woman pushing herself to her feet from where she had been previously laying on a towel, a few of her friends next to her and shielding their eyes as they looked over toward where Annie and Finnick were standing. Annie didn't recognize her at first, although somewhere inside her mind she thought that she probably should have. She was tall and had impossibly long legs, her blonde hair unnaturally perfect for being at the beach. Her pale pink bikini didn't leave anything to the imagination and suddenly made Annie feel all the more self-conscious about her own body.

Glancing once toward Finnick, she saw that his entire posture had tightened and he wasn't smiling. The woman advancing toward them clearly didn't notice, though, as her face sported a giant grin and, once she reached him, she didn't hesitate in throwing her arms around him.

"It has been _forever_!" she exclaimed, pushing herself up on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me you were back in town?"

When she backed away, Annie noticed that Finnick's previous blank expression was replaced by one of those wide grins, but it was clear to her that this one was forced. The blonde before them didn't seem to notice.

"I've only been here a little while, Glimmer," Finnick replied, giving her a wink. "You didn't give me enough time."

That was the answer that Glimmer apparently was looking for and, at the sound of her name, the memories flooded back to Annie. She had been a year above her in school and was from one of the richest parts of town, second only to the area around the Capitol area itself. Glancing her over once, it didn't look like she had changed at all except for a few enhancements – Annie couldn't help but think that if she'd had that chest in high school, it wouldn't have fit in her cheer leading outfit.

High school hadn't been easy for Annie and she had been relieved when Glimmer and her group of popular friends had graduated. While they weren't the only ones to blame for some of the treatment she had been on the receiving end of during those years, they certainly hadn't helped. Annie felt her own jaw set and a tension flood through her shoulders that she hadn't felt for years.

"Oh, you," Glimmer said to Finnick, pushing him gently in the shoulder. It was at that time, as Annie was realizing who she was, that Glimmer did the same for her. Her eyes left Finnick, as though registering for the first time that he wasn't alone, and she looked over at Annie. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose for the briefest of moments in shock, then fell as her mouth twisted into an amused smile. Looking back at Finnick, she let out a laugh. "What are you doing with Annie _Cuckoo_?"

Rolling her eyes, Annie waved a dismissive hand toward Glimmer and shook her head. "Nice to see you too, Glimmer." She took a few steps away before looking back toward Finnick. "I'll see you at work tomorrow," she said with a small wave, then took off down the beach at a faster pace than before.

Once alone, Finnick's expression hardened as he looked at Glimmer. "What the hell?"

"What?" Glimmer asked, genuinely surprised at his reaction. "Are you running some sort of charity now? I hear that she went off to college and had some sort of mental breakdown all over again and had to take a leave for a semester because of it. Probably because she was some kind of danger to the other students on campus. Do you remember back in school when she would have those freak outs in the middle of the hallway? Oh my God, and that one time – "

"Glimmer," Finnick interrupted, one of his hands raised as though to put a barrier between him and his ex-girlfriend that he hadn't seen since he was eighteen. "Seriously, stop it."

Glimmer's lips curled into a smirk, her eyebrows raised as though this was an interesting turn of events. "All right," she replied, her voice echoing the amusement that was on her face. "Whatever you say."

Finnick dispelled a breath, having to consciously bring himself back to his easy place and let the default smile that he always wore take over. It was easier to just smile. It made people more simple to deal with and he knew that Glimmer, of all people, would be looking for that smile. The last thing he needed was for her to go back to her friends and tell them that he'd lost it, even if sometimes he felt like he did. It was clear that if she was willing to kick up things that had happened to Annie from high school that she wouldn't have any qualms doing the same to him now.

After a brief moment of silence, Glimmer glanced back toward her friends and then again to Finnick. "Look, I need to get back to Clove and Enobaria. Are you on Facebook?" When he nodded, she gave him a smile. "Great. I'll be in touch, Finnick."

Finnick stood in the spot for longer than he cared to admit, watching Glimmer walk away and back toward his friends. As repulsed as he had been by her behavior, it was easy for him to remember just why he had stayed with her as long as he had in high school. Shaking his head once to clear those thoughts, he turned and started running again in the direction that he and Annie had been walking.

In an effort to stop thinking about the things that he and Glimmer would do together during parties and when they slipped into one another's houses in the dead of night, Finnick instead focused on the things she had said about Annie. He had remembered her from high school, albeit vaguely and mostly through the stories that Glimmer or one of his other friends told him. He had been too busy with his own stuff to really get wrapped up in the teasing that his circle of friends enjoyed taking part in, giving him the reputation as the "good guy" in the popular crowd. Looking back on it, though, he didn't feel like he was very good. If he'd been good, he'd have stuck up for those people they had been teasing. Instead, he had folded under the pressure of high school and teenagers and just let it keep happening.

He didn't remember who had come up with the nickname of Annie Cuckoo for her, but it did strike him as incredibly unimaginative as well as awful. Having ran in completely different crowds and also being a few years apart in age, Finnick didn't know exactly what had happened to her or why she acted the way she had. He didn't remember what Glimmer had referenced, though, when she talked about the episodes she would have. It was like she would have a trigger and just slip to the floor, her books falling as her hands clamped over her ears. It didn't happen often, but it only had to happen once for people to remember it and associate it with someone.

It seemed strange to him that someone who had been like that in high school could be the same Annie Cresta that he had just managed to hang out with all day. He had spent a lot of time around her brothers and father because of work in the previous months and they had never said anything to really explain that time either, not that he would have expected them to. Part of him wondered if it had something to do with the fact that he had never seen or heard anything about her mother; he had glimpsed pictures on the walls at the Cresta's home and knew that it probably meant that she hadn't abandoned them or they had divorced.

As much as the memory of a fifteen-year-old Annie Cresta might not have added up to the woman he now knew, Finnick was aware that time could help that sort of thing. It made him wonder if she still had issues. Did she have nightmares about something in his past, just like he did? How did she cope and seem so at ease, while he had to keep reminding himself how to get out of bed every morning and live? If she was able to do it, did that mean that he would, too?

The sun was finally starting to reach the horizon when Finnick let his feet take him on the path toward home. Mags was probably wondering where he was and he didn't want to keep her waiting any longer than he really had to.

His pace slowed as he reached the house until he was walking up the front walk. Just before he reached the door, he heard his phone sound off, alerting him that he had gotten some sort of message. He paused with one hand on the doorknob, the other fishing around in his pocket. It was Facebook and he felt his heart sink as he saw the friend request from Glimmer as well as a private message. As he read over her request for him to go to some party in the Capitol neighborhood the coming Friday, he closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh. This was why he had left Panem in the first place, only to have found that the rest of the world was the same way.

Lingering longer on the porch than he should have, he blew out another sigh to steady himself before accepting the friend request and typing a quick message saying that he would go and asking the time. It was such a simple, almost innocent act, but Finnick couldn't help but feel dirty as he walked into the house to find Mags.

* * *

_Well, hello there! I wanted to give a massive THANK YOU to all of you who reviewed or have followed/faved either me or this story. It seriously makes my day more than you'll ever know when I get an email because someone has given some kind of feedback or just shown interest in this story._

_Since I know that disclaimers and such can be easy to disregard, I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the chapter titles are names of songs that I feel fit the tone of the chapter. I know that a lot of writers do this, but I was particularly inspired by OMGitsgreen as that is her format as well. While on the topic, please check out her stuff if you haven't already! Discovering and reading "Reaching You" is what inspired me to finally put together this story, so make sure you take a look if you're as big of a lover of modern AU and Finnick/Annie as I am._

_Finally, I'm debating writing a Gale/Madge story that would likely take place in the same universe as this story is taking place. I have a lot of ideas and I think it would be fun, so please let me know if that's something you might be interested in reading. Many hugs to you all!_


	4. arms

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Suzanne Collins and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "arms" is by Christina Perri and I do not, in any way, own it._

* * *

"I'm almost done, I swear." Annie glanced up from her computer just long enough to receive the smile and shrug from Lavinia, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting area of the office and was playing a game on her phone.

The week had flown by. As the summer trudged forward, the number of customers that came into Cresta's Tours skyrocketed and it meant that she had more work to do than normal. During most summers, Annie was the extra help and she just did whatever she could to help Cecelia, the woman who was a handful of years older than Annie but had been working for her father since high school. She had taken time off for maternity leave that summer, though, which left Annie to her own devices and with more responsibility than she was really prepared to be saddled with.

Today had been a particular challenge as four customers had canceled their appointments and had wanted to reschedule, but didn't seem to understand that while they were able to do that if they wanted, they had to choose a time when one of their boats was available. Annie had also noticed that three of those customers had insisted on having Finnick as their guide, something that irritated for reasons she didn't want to dwell on.

It was after closing now, though, and that meant that any phone call that came in got to go to the answering machine to be dealt with tomorrow. Her brothers had already left for the day, but she could still see a few other people lingering on the docks.

"Okay, I think I'm – "

Annie was interrupted by the sudden jingling that signaled the door to the office opening. She had a mini moment of panic when she wondered if she had forgotten to switch the sign to say that they were closed when she looked up and saw that rather than a customer having come in, it was Finnick. A shirtless Finnick, as it turned out, with his shirt draped over one shoulder. Seeing him shirtless was not a new thing for Annie, but it never failed to catch her off guard.

"Hey," she greeted, standing up from behind the desk as the computer shut down. She open the top drawer in a nearby filing cabinet to retrieve her purse. "What's up?"

"Not a whole lot," Finnick replied, giving her a flash of a smile. "I was headed out and saw you were still here, so I figured it'd be rude if I didn't say goodbye."

"Unforgivably rude, I'd say," Annie said with a smile of her own. It was then that she remembered that Lavinia was in the room and, when she looked to her friend, she saw that she was watching the exchange with much interest. "Sorry, this is my friend, Lavinia. Lavinia, this is Finnick."

Finnick took the few steps across the small room to extend his hand to Lavinia in a handshake. He gave her the same toothy grin that Annie had come to associate with him and said, "Nice to meet you, Lavinia."

Lavinia returned the handshake a bit awkwardly, looking to Annie for help. Annie gave a nod and Lavinia took her hand from Finnick so she could sign. For a split second he looked bewildered, but then realization took its place.

"She says that it's nice to meet you as well," Annie supplied, stepping out from behind the desk.

"Oh, I know," Finnick replied. He then began to sign in return, speaking his words as he did. "I'm a little rusty, but I used to be pretty good."

Lavinia's face lit up in a way Annie had only seen happen a few times over the course of their friendship. She smiled herself, propping herself up against the desk as she watched them. She knew just how frustrating it could be for Lavinia to not be able to communicate with people; even among their circle of friends, only Katniss and Madge had made a concerted effort to learn some sign language. It wasn't that Delly and Leevy didn't want to understand her and they had picked up on some of it, but they had grown used to Annie being Lavinia's voice by default. She could see why she might be relieved to not have to be reliant upon someone else for conversation.

Feeling a bit as though she was eavesdropping, Annie couldn't help but watch the two as they spoke. Lavinia was asking Finnick where he had learned to sign and he was explaining that he had taken an online class back in high school for a credit. It was clear that he didn't remember all of it, given that he had to pause or just rely on his spoken voice, but that didn't matter to Lavinia.

After a few more moments, Lavinia seemed to remember that Annie was standing there and turned to her friend with a sheepish smile before asking her if she was ready to go.

"Yeah, I am," Annie replied, standing up straight again and hitching her purse over her shoulder.

At that, Lavinia took a step back so she was standing more or less behind Finnick. It took Annie a split second to understand what she was doing, but the raised eyebrows and meaningful look and nod toward Finnick cleared things up. The reason Lavinia had come to the office was to pick Annie up so they could get ready before going out with their friends and some of the guys. It had been a while since they had all gotten together as a group, so they decided to meet up at one of the bars they frequented for a little karaoke, pool, and a relatively good time. Bars weren't usually Annie's first choice when deciding on fun locations, but she hadn't argued.

But, based on the look that Lavinia was giving her, Annie figured that she thought that she should issue an invitation to Finnick. The thought had crossed her mind a few days before, when he had stopped in for his lunch and ate it behind her desk with her, but she felt oddly nervous about it. Even now, when she knew that it wasn't a big deal, it certainly felt like one.

Swallowing once, she decided to just dive right in. "Hey, so... a bunch of us are going to that bar over on 12th Street. The Square? I know it's Saturday and this is last minute, so you probably already have plans, but if you don't..." Annie shrugged and gave him what she hoped was a winning smile.

Finnick looked like he was considering the offer, his own smile on her face, and in the brief moment that it took for him to consider and then answer, she almost retracted the offer and ran. Before she could do that, however, he gave a nod. "I've got some stuff to do tonight, but I'll see what I can do about stopping by. What time?"

"We're meeting up around 8ish," Annie replied, trying not to sound as relieved as she felt. "It's usually looked over by the tourists and just has us townies about, so the crowd isn't ever something to worry about."

"All right," he nodded, his mouth twisting into a wider, lop-sided smile. "I'll probably see you then." He looked back to Lavinia and gave her a nod. "You too, Lavinia."

The redhead smiled, then signed a salutation as Finnick left the office and started down the dock toward the parking lot. Annie released a long breath, warranting an amused expression from her friend that she promptly ignored. Instead, she just watched as she signed.

"Yeah, he's incredibly handsome," Annie agreed, pulling out her keys and motioning toward the door. "A little unnaturally handsome, if you ask me."

Lavinia rolled her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that." Annie closed the door behind them, making sure it was pulled tight before locking it. Glancing down the docks, she saw that everyone else had left for the day and it was just them. "Half the time I don't even know what to say to him."

The expression on Lavinia's face told Annie that she knew that was as much a lie as she did as she spoke it. After they had met up a couple of weeks prior on the beach, they had been talking more and more. None of their conversations had been remarkably deep and insightful, but she knew things about him that she had never thought she might know. She knew that he loved sweets and used to steal sugarcubes from the dish when he was young, but stopped that habit after he went to the dentist for the first time and found out how many cavities he had – incidentally, that was also why his teeth were so sparkly white, as he had become rather dedicated to his dental hygiene after that. She knew that he loved cold pizza and his favorite toppings were pepperoni, bacon, and black olives. She knew that he had been swimming since before he could remember, first in his family's pool and then in the ocean. After swimming in the ocean, he had never wanted to swim in the pool again. She knew that he had fallen out of a tree once and had broken his wrist, which was why there was a bit of a lump there. She knew that the thin scar on his lower stomach was from when he had his appendix taken out in his teens.

What was more surprising than any of that, though, was that Annie knew that she had revealed as much about herself. None of it might have given great insight into their personality, but it was the little things that made a person. It made her feel as though she knew him all the better and she didn't mind revealing those things about herself, no matter how much she didn't like talking about herself to most people.

"Shut up," Annie finally replied, though her tone had no irritation and instead was just amused. Lavinia caught it herself and gave her a quick smile before looping her arm with Annie's and pulled her down the dock and to her car.

**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**

For a very brief moment, Finnick had considered turning down Annie's offer of hanging out at the bar. At the time, he hadn't really understood why he had thought he shouldn't go, but when he was dwelling on it later in the night as he got ready, he was able to figure it out.

There were a number of things that Finnick was naturally good at and meeting new people was one of them. He was charismatic, had a gift in gauging the room and the moods of people around him, and could steer a conversation in any way he wanted with great ease. While that might have been true, there were some people that he found a bit harder to read and, because of that, his abilities were weakened. Annie was a great example of this. While sometimes he could tell that she was as taken with his most charming grin as other girls were, there were other times that she just rolled her eyes and changed the subject. It had been unnerving at first; how was he supposed to talk to her if he couldn't control the conversation like usual? Then he found that it was refreshing.

As used to it as he might have been with Annie, he found himself worrying about her other friends. He had a feeling that they, like her, weren't going to be as susceptible to his charms as the women that requested him as a guide at work or the girls near the Capitol.

Maybe that was why he had waited until the last possible moment before getting ready, which was why it was nearing nine o'clock before he finally grabbed his wallet and keys off of his dresser and started down the stairs to say goodbye to Mags.

"I'm going out," he announced as he advanced toward where she was sitting in the living room, the television on and her knitting in her lap. Her dexterity had gotten worse after the second stroke, but she was determined to prove the predictions that the doctors had made wrong. Finnick had noticed that while she was slower than before, she had the same attention to detail and tight stitching. It gave him hope.

"I'd certainly hope so. It's Saturday," Mags replied, turning her attention from her movie to look at Finnick. She seemed to be judging his appearance to figure out just where he was going. "Where are you off to?"

"Just hanging out with a friend," Finnick replied vaguely. The raised eyebrow that Mags gave him prompted him to clarify. "That girl from work, Annie. She and her friends are going out and she invited me to tag along."

In the long time that Finnick had been living with Mags, he never felt a need to lie to her. She never told him what to do, even when she was giving him her most disapproving look (like she had more than once in the past couple of weeks as he found himself seeing Glimmer and his old crowd), as she seemed determined to allow him to make his own decisions and make his own mistakes. Even if he did lie, Finnick had a feeling that Mags would know before she let two words out.

There was no disapproving look this time, though. Instead, Mags just gave him a smile. "Good, good. I like that girl."

"You haven't even met her, Mags," Finnick replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't have to," she countered, looking back down to her knitting. "You talk about her near enough that I might as well have. Now, get going. I'm sure you're late."

Finnick bent over to press a kiss to her head before bidding Mags goodbye and hurrying out of the house. As always seemed to be the case, she knew him better than he even knew himself – not that he was ready to admit that to anyone, much less himself.

Upon reaching the bar, Finnick lingered outside for a brief moment to prepare himself. Like Annie had said, the parking lot seemed to be filled with only local license plates, which was rather rare given the time of year. It wasn't too shocking, though, as the bar looked to be nothing more than a hole in the wall, but he knew better than to judge it by its cover. He might have only been there a few times, but he knew that Chaff and Haymitch ran a pretty fun place; it had to have been or it wouldn't have stayed in business for so long, townie loyalty or not. Finnick had a feeling that the reason it stayed running was more Chaff's influence than Haymitch's, as the latter was known around town for always being on the drunk side. They had to have been doing something right, though.

He peered through the front window and saw that it looked like the majority of the people there were Annie and her friends. He recognized Lavinia from earlier in the day as well as the girl with the braid that he had seen at work a few times, picking up Annie. She had said her name was Katniss and tonight her hair was down, rather than back in that braid. There were a few other girls, none of which Finnick recognized, and a few guys who seemed to be hanging around their group. Their ease told him that they weren't hitting on them, but actually part of their circle. The only one of the guys he recognized was Gale Hawthrone and that was only because they had been Chemistry partners during junior year of high school.

It took a moment for Finnick to find Annie and when he did, he smiled despite himself. She was facing the dart board, carefully throwing the darts one after another and making it clear that darts wasn't where her talents lie. She let out a laugh after each dart went flying off the board or landed outside of the circle and he couldn't help but notice how relaxed she seemed. There was always something about Annie that seemed like she was a bit tense to him, but as she stood there, shaking her head and saying something to Katniss, who had stepped forward for her turn at the dartboard, she seemed different. He also couldn't help but notice how undeniably pretty she was looking. He usually saw her in just jeans and a tank top, but tonight she was wearing a blue dress that was cinched at the waist with a brown belt and her hair was left loose to fall down her back. She was pretty in a non fussy way, as though she hadn't made any real effort to impress anyone, which was impressive in and of itself.

After realizing he had been staring at her for longer than was really acceptable, Finnick walked through the door and started toward the group. He went unnoticed at first, until one of the blonde girls caught sight of him, widened her eyes, and nudged Annie on the arm. She looked up in surprise and then gave him a smile that almost stopped him in his tracks.

"Finnick!" she exclaimed, pushing herself off of her bar stool to greet him. "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it."

He gave her an apologetic smile and a shrug. "I wanted to get here sooner, but I got caught up with some things... you know how it goes."

Annie just nodded, clearly not too worried about it. "Introductions," she said instead, turning toward the people around them. While he had no hope to actually remember the names that Annie was rattling off, Finnick tried. He already knew that the tall, dark haired guy was Gale, but the blonde next to him was Peeta Mellark, then Thresh and his girlfriend, Bristel, and Thom, who Finnick remembered to have been friends with Gale back in school. The blonde who had nudged Annie had been Delly and the other blonde was Madge. Next to her was a dark haired girl named Leevy that he thought he might have seen as a waitress at the cafe that Mags liked to frequent for lunch. They all looked at him with varying expressions – some welcoming, some suspicious, some indifferent.

One thing was for certain, though. He had been right in assuming that his usual charms wouldn't work for all of them.

Nevertheless, he gave his best smile and said, "Nice to meet you guys," before he was interrupted by Katniss, who was beckoning at Annie and letting her know it was her turn at the dart board.

"Order a drink," Annie offered, motioning toward the stool she had been sitting on and the small pile of bills that were sitting next to what looked like a glass of water. "First one is on me."

**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**_o_**x**

Bar time arrived faster than Annie could have predicted and she didn't like it one bit. As much as she hadn't been looking forward to going to the bar that night, she found herself having more fun than she had in a long time. She had a feeling that a lot of it had to do with Finnick, who she had stuck close to so he didn't feel awkward or left out. That obviously wasn't necessary, given how quick he was able to fall into conversation with the others. It seemed like nothing they said could throw him a loop, even when they brought up inside jokes. Rather than falling silent, he just cracked his own joke on the tail of them.

By the time they were being ushered out of the bar, though, it was obvious to Annie that she was among the few who were in good condition. Her ride was supposed to have been with Lavinia and Delly, but the green tint that Delly's face had made her wonder if she really wanted to deal with that. She loved Delly unconditionally, but she did have a bad habit of throwing up in cars after the smallest amount to drink.

"Finnick, you live close to my dad's, right?" she asked, peering at Delly as Lavinia helped her toward her car.

"Yeah," he replied, his gaze following Annie's. He let out a quick laugh and gave her a smile. "Do you need a ride?"

"I would be in your debt until forever," Annie replied, looking to him.

"Well, with a deal like that, how can I say no?"

Annie gave him a smile before hurrying over to Lavinia to let her know the change of plans. Her friend gave her a bright smile, glancing once over to Finnick as she closed the car door for Delly. Annie quickly signed a warning, which only made Lavinia smile all the more, but at least bid her goodbye.

She gave a quick goodbye to the others before following Finnick over to where his car was parked. It was a nice car, she noticed, but not a recent model. It was clear that he had taken care of it rather well over the years since he got it.

A few moments passed in silence as he left the parking lot and turned onto the street before Finnick said anything. "I had thought that since you were drinking water and soda that you were the designated driver for the night."

"No, not tonight," Annie replied, her gaze out the windshield of the car. "Or any night, really. I don't drive."

That surprised Finnick at first, until he thought about it a bit harder. It had never occurred to him before, but now that he focused on it, he did realize that she always arrived at work either with one of her brothers, her father, or on her bike. At the end of the day, she was most often being picked up by one of her friends or riding that bike back. It was such a small thing, but now that he realized it, he couldn't help but think it odd. Their city was large, but it wasn't so large that people didn't have cars, especially in their neighborhood.

"Why don't you drive?" Finnick asked. He had been driving since he was fourteen, even if he hadn't been able to legally do so for another two years after that.

Annie fell silent for a moment and, when he glanced over to see the stricken expression on her face, he wanted to take back the question. Conversation had grown to be so easy between them, but this was clearly not one of those easy subjects that he had grown used to, no matter how simple a question it might have seemed to have been to him.

"It's... it's a long story," Annie finally decided, turning her head to look at him. "Too long of a story to tell in this short car ride. Maybe I'll save it for another time."

Finnick looked at her again, giving her a small smile. "Works for me."

The rest of the car ride continued with them idly talking about her friends, Finnick asking some questions about relationship dynamics and Annie filling in the blanks ("Does Madge know that Gale is totally into her?" "Definitely not, because she's blind." "How long have Thresh and Bristel been together?" "Since the dawn of time, I swear." "Delly giggles a lot when she's been drinking." "No, that's just how she always is."). The ride to her dad's house was shorter than she would have liked and, before either of them knew it, he was pulling into the driveway.

Annie leaned forward to look at the windows in the house and she was unsurprised to see that her father's light was off in his bedroom. It was far too late for him, much like it was far too late for her; work was going to be painful come the morning.

"Thanks for the ride," Annie replied, unfastening her seat belt.

"Thanks for the invitation," Finnick countered, reaching down to pick up her purse for her. She took it with a smile.

There was a pause and suddenly they were both aware of just how charged it was inside of the car. There had been moments like that on and off when they'd talked, but they were fleeting and both had convinced themselves that they had imagined it. There was no easy way to dismiss this, not when Annie felt her heartbeat rising and Finnick couldn't help but consider just what it was he should do.

Annie was just about to end the moment by opening the car door when she hesitated and, at that moment, Finnick did the same. As if making a silent agreement, they both leaned in and their lips touched for the first time. Annie was surprised at first, even though she had been just as guilty a party in instigating the kiss, but quickly pushed that surprise aside to bring one of her hands up to his cheek and deepen the kiss ever so slightly. It was innocent and sweet, but by the time it broke, there was a heat and passion there that lingered between them and promised of more.

Smiling, Annie reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear with one hand while the other finally opened the car door. "See you tomorrow."

"See you," Finnick returned, his own smile on his face, even after she had shut the door, walked up to the house, and he was driving down the road toward home.

* * *

_Awwww._

_Just so you guys know, I do have a tumblr that I've been using mostly to house my updates; I'll be using it for other fics that I'm planning on working on, not just this one. I'm thinking that I'm going to start using it for other purposes, like some character development, showing how I picture each character physically, some art, that kind of stuff. If you're interested in seeing that, you can find it at __**hanhanorah**__._

_That said, please give me some feedback! Reviews make the world go round and I'd love to see what you guys think and have some predictions on what's going to happen in the future. Much love!_


	5. Dust to Dust

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Suzanne Collins and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Dust to Dust" is by the Civil Wars and I do not, in any way, own it._

* * *

When Annie rode her bike up to the office, her head was so far buried in the clouds that she didn't even realize that there was a familiar car in the parking lot. It was Monday, so logically she certainly should have noticed as no one else was expected to be at the office on their day off, but she was far too lost in her own thoughts.

That had been the state that she had been in since she had gone out with her friends a few nights before. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Finnick, which was only natural given how the night had ended. He had gotten along so well with her friends, all of them welcoming him in with ease – not that she would have expected anything less from them. He had jumped into conversation and exchanged jokes as though he had known all of them for years, rather than only just meeting most of them for the first time that night. It gave her hope that he might continue hanging out with them.

As great as that had been, her mind kept drifting back to one more important moment that had happened that night: the kiss. It had been so unexpected, even if hindsight made her wonder if that tension had been building for longer than she had realized. She had been working hard to ignore her own feelings toward him and convincing herself that she was reading into some of the comments he might have made, but now it seemed that neither was necessary any longer. No, she didn't know if anything would come of said kiss... but finally it felt like she could allow herself a little hope.

Annie rode her bike straight up to the front door of the office before dismounting. In her haste to leave the night before to get a ride with one of her brothers, she had forgotten her backpack which had a few necessities in it, including her sunscreen. She had been planning on spending the day at the beach, but she couldn't do that without her sunscreen; not if she didn't want to turn herself into a lobster, of course.

It took her hardly any time to find her backpack where she had stowed it away under the desk the previous day and swung it over her shoulder. She was starting to put together a plan in her head for going to the beach when she glanced out the front window and saw someone not only standing on the dock, but waving at her. She felt her stomach flutter and a rather dopey smile cross her lips. It was Finnick.

Not bothering to attempt to appear nonchalant, she hurried out of the office and locked the door behind her. When she turned to start toward him, she found that he was only a few steps away from her. "Hey."

"Hello," he greeted in return, giving her a wide smile. Annie couldn't help but take in his appearance; it was difficult to ignore before, but now it felt almost as though she had some sort of permission to let her eyes rake over him just once. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of blue swimming trunks. They were the same trunks that he had been wearing when she had run into him on the beach.

"What's up?" she asked, her eyes popping back up to his face. She reached up and ran an almost nervous hand through her hair. "It's Monday, you know."

"Yes, I do know," Finnick replied, flashing her a smile as he recognized the teasing tone in her voice. "Pete – your dad, I mean – he said I could borrow one of the boats. Ours is in for some repairs and I'd had my heart set on doing some fishing."

When Annie thought back to the previous evening, she thought she could recall her father having mentioned doing exactly that. It wasn't odd; he often let his employees use the boats during their time off, giving them an added perk to working for him. He had even extended the same offer to Annie, but she usually just tagged along when one of her brothers decided to take one out instead. The last thing she wanted was for something to go wrong when she was using it.

"I see," Annie replied with a nod, looking down the dock to see what looked like a cooler and a fishing pole sitting next to his boat. "Sounds like a nice day."

"Yeah." Finnick hesitated for just long enough for Annie to consider excusing herself and letting him go on his way, but before she could do that he added, "Are you up to anything today? I wouldn't complain to some company, if you're not."

The invitation was slightly unexpected, but not at all unwanted. She didn't even bother trying to hide or temper the wide and clearly pleased smile that crossed her face. "I was just going to wander the beach, but that sounds a lot better."

If Annie didn't know any better, she would have thought that Finnick actually looked relieved after she answered. The brief flicker on his face was replaced with the more confident smile that she was used to seeing. "Okay, great. I'm just about ready to push off, if you want to board the boat."

Annie followed Finnick down the dock, her backpack over one shoulder. She paused just briefly to pick up his fishing pole and cooler, then hopped into the boat. They were larger, big enough to hold at least ten people comfortably, not including the operator – at least, that's what their website and brochure advertised. The weather was perfect for such a day on the ocean, but she could already feel her shoulders starting to heat up from the sun beating down onto her bare skin. She ducked under the covered portion of the boat, setting their things down and taking the seat next to the steering, where she assumed Finnick would be sitting.

By the time he had finished his prepping, she had discarded her tank top so she was left in her bikini top and had lathered herself down with sunscreen and found her sunglasses in her backpack. Annie gave Finnick a smile as she crossed her legs. "So, where are we headed?"

"You'll see," Finnick replied as he started up the boat. He spared her a glance and she wondered if maybe his eyes had lingered a bit longer than they normally might have, which made her flush just slightly. "I found this place back in high school that is good for fishing, but apparently no one has found. I was surprised to find it untouched when I moved back home."

It didn't take them very long to get to the place he had in mind, but it was a long enough ride that Annie had found herself more relaxed than she'd felt in a while. When she was young, she had loved taking rides in the boats with her father or brothers, but as time went on and their schedules, especially hers, became more hectic, it just wasn't possible to do as often as she liked. There was something about the sound of the boat hitting the waves, the occasional spray of the water when they sliced into a particularly tall wave, and the feel of the wind hitting her face and blowing her hair around that made her think of easier, less complicated times. It felt good.

Eventually they started to slow. Annie sat up, pulling herself out of her relaxed state to look around the place that Finnick had brought them to. She couldn't believe that she had never seen this place before, but at the same time she could understand why it was relatively untouched. They were a bit removed from the busy beaches and fishing spots, both of which she was an expert on after having spent her childhood visiting them. There weren't any residential areas nearby, nor did it appear that there were any roads by the coast either. It was just a small inlet that led from an abandoned beach on the shore to the ocean that they had come from, but the water was so clear and she could see almost straight down to the white sand that covered the floor. Schools of fish darted here and there between logs and weeds; she could see why this would be good fishing.

"Wow," she finally said as they came to a stop. Annie tore her gaze from their surroundings to look at Finnick, who had abandoned the wheel and was instead dropping the anchor. "Do you bring your customers here?"

"Definitely not," Finnick shook his head as he turned back to Annie. "No offense to my customers, but I don't think they'd appreciate it. I don't want people flooding my secret spot, too."

Annie smiled. She could understand both of those things. "I promise that your secret spot will remain a secret with me."

"Appreciated." He gave her a quick wink, then made himself busy with his fishing pole. As he did, Annie lifted herself up from her seat and walked toward the front of the boat. She knelt on one of the seats, her knees pressing into the cushion that had been warmed by the summer sun, and she stared down into the water again. It looked like a different world and, as she always was, she was fascinated by it. There would have been a time, many years ago, that she would have been able to point out the difference between all of the different fish that had returned to the waters by the boat after they had stayed still long enough. While some of that knowledge had stayed put, it had mostly left her and had been replaced with, well. She wasn't even sure.

Before long, she found herself sitting on the edge of the boat with her bare feet dangling into the water as Finnick stood next to her, his line cast out into the water. Of the handful of fish that he had caught already, three were large enough to keep and they were swimming in the live well of the boat. Annie had no idea how long he was planning on fishing and when they would start heading back, but she was in no particular hurry.

"So, Finnick," Annie started after a long period of comfortable silence. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he replied without hesitation, sparing a glance at her before looking out to his line again.

Annie paused just a moment, as though trying to decide if she really wanted to ask the question, but in the end her curiosity won out. "Why did you move back to Panem? Everyone says that you had things really going for yourself in New York and you just seem so much bigger than home."

A beat of silence passed as Finnick began to reel in and decide how he wanted to answer that question. While he knew that many people were of the assumption that he had been headed for fame and fortune when he packed his bags and left Panem at eighteen, life hadn't quite worked out the way they, or he, had hoped. It was hard to phrase that out loud, though, especially when he wasn't accustomed to admitting when things didn't go to plan in his life.

"It's kind of complicated," he admitted as he cast his line out again.

"You don't have to tell me," Annie replied, looking up to him with a small smile. "But let me assure you that I am the queen of complicated."

Finnick didn't doubt that for a second, but it was the warm smile that she was giving him that convinced him to just talk to her. "Things were... okay in New York. I guess. Nothing had really gone how it was supposed to, but I was getting by, sort of. I missed home, but I didn't want to come home at the same time. It felt like I would be admitting that I failed or something like that, even though I knew that was a dumb way to look at it."

He paused again and looked at Annie. Once more, it was the expression on her face that pushed him into continuing. There was no judgment or pity on her face, just curiosity and acceptance. Maybe it was because they had only known one another a short while or maybe it was because she was just so different than the people he had counted as his friends back in high school, but it made him feel like he could talk honestly with her. There was only one other person in the world that made him feel that way and that was Mags.

"Anyway," he continued, looking back out to the water. "Mags – she's my, well... she raised me, basically. She got sick while I was in New York. She told me not to come back because of her, but I know she'd have said that no matter what. So, I packed the things that I couldn't be without in a few duffel bags, bought a bus ticket, and have been here ever since. I didn't know if it'd be temporary or not at first, but everything just felt right here. Like I could breathe again, if that makes any sense. So, I got my job working for your dad and here I am."

Once he was finished speaking, Finnick quickly looked back to Annie, but all he saw was that warm smile again. It made him smile as well; while he knew that his moving for Mags wasn't _really_ any show of failure on his part, it felt good to have someone else seem to think the same.

"That couldn't have been easy for you," Annie replied, kicking her feet slowly back and forth in the water. "I thought it was brave of you to go to a big city like that after living here, but coming back... that takes a certain shade of bravery itself."

Finnick started reeling his line in again and, as he did, gave a bashful sort of shrug. "I don't know about that," he said. "I just felt like I sort of owed it to Mags. She did so much for me growing up, it was only fair that I do something for her now."

"I bet she appreciates it."

He stayed silent at that, even if he did hope that she was right about that. Finnick felt like he was still greatly in debt to Mags, after everything that she had done for him over the years. Coming back to Panem to help her out around the house was just the beginning of that repayment, even if he knew that she would never think that he owed her something.

He cleared his throat as he finished reeling and set the pole aside. In one graceful motion, he sat himself down on the edge of the boat next to Annie. His feet dangled over the side into the water like hers. "Do I get to ask you a question now?"

Annie looked at him with an almost wary smile, as though she knew exactly where this was going. "I think that would only be fair."

"Why don't you drive, then?" Finnick asked, confirming exactly what Annie had been expecting. She stretched her legs out of the water in front of her for a moment before releasing a sigh and letting them drop back into the water at the same time.

"It's complicated," she started, echoing him from before. Her smile made it clear that she was teasing, although she did still feel it was a complicated story. "I got my drivers license right away on my sixteenth birthday. I was a good driver. I made my dad take me driving at least three times a week, I practiced until I was perfect, and I didn't lose any points when I actually took my test. I was so excited. My dad bought me this little car that we both knew probably wouldn't make it until I got to college, but it was good enough to get me back and forth from high school and that's all that mattered."

Her head dipped slightly, her gaze on her feet in the water. "The first time I went out driving without my dad or anyone else acting as a teacher, I picked up one of my friends, Zale. He was my age and we grew up on the same street, so we were playmates pretty much our entire childhood. As we got older, everyone thought that we would end up dating, but it wasn't like that. We were just really close."

Realizing that she was babbling in an effort to prolong the inevitable, she let out a sigh. Annie didn't like talking about this. The only reason her current friends knew was because she had given them the bare details or they had known from rumors at school. In fact, she was sure that Finnick knew this story himself, given that too many people he had hung out with in high school had been the culprits of her bullying that she received in the aftermath. She had to remind herself, at that thought, that he had never been one of those bullies.

"Anyway," she continued, her gaze not lifting from her feet. "I had picked Zale up and we were just driving around, listening to music and enjoying the fact that one of us finally had a car so we didn't have to ride bikes or rely on our parents anymore to get us places. It had rained just before we left, but I wasn't that worried about it. We went around that corner on Willow and while we were fine, there was a car in the other lane that wasn't. They lost control and hit us."

At that point, Annie had to pause. Her eyes closed for a moment and it wasn't until she opened them that she realized that Finnick had draped a warm and comforting arm around her shoulder. She wanted to continue and tell him the rest, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't tell him how they had rolled down into the low ditch that the road was on, not coming to a stop until they hit a large tree on the passenger side. That she had been knocked out, but when she came to the first thing she saw was Zale, who had been hit in such a way that his head was unrecognizable and that there had been so much blood that between that and her pain, she passed out again. How it was later on that she found out that he had been almost completely decapitated. That the other driver had been found at fault and that there had been alcohol in her system.

Swallowing hard, she allowed herself to sink into his side before continuing. "Zale died and the doctors were always telling me and my dad that it had been a miracle that I hadn't, too. I had a number of broken bones and internal injuries, but a few surgeries and casts later and I was physically fine. It just left me a bit... anxiety ridden. I tried driving again a few months later, but I couldn't even put the car into drive before I had a panic attack. I'd have them at school too, until my psychiatrist figured out the right anti-anxiety meds I had to take."

Silence fell between them again and it took only a few seconds before Annie started to feel self conscious about it. Had she told him too much? What if he thought she was some sort of freak now? Why did she feel the need to just go on and on like that?

"Thank you for telling me," Finnick finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was quiet and, when she looked up to him, his expression was unlike anything she had seen on his face before. So often he appeared to be smiling or grinning as a mask, but there wasn't a hint of that mask at that moment. While she wasn't sure what to make of it, he looked so serious, yet also sympathetic. What she appreciated the most, though, was that while there was sympathy, she didn't see any pity. "I know that you think that what I've done is brave, but I think you're much braver than me."

Annie managed a small, albeit weak, smile. "I don't know about that. Maybe I'd be brave if I'd actually drive a car again, but until then..."

"I do," Finnick replied, bringing his free hand up to cup her cheek gently. "Everyone has their own demons and their baggage that life leaves at their feet, but it's what we do with them that matters most. You've been dealt a hell of a hand, but here you are. Chugging right along. If that isn't brave, I don't know what is."

It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to Annie and also unexpected. She was so quick to be hard on herself because of the things she couldn't do, due to the accident and the havoc that it had wreaked on her mind. Even when she knew that she had so many accomplishments and she firmly believed that her experiences when she was younger made her into the woman she was right then, it was hard to look at the bigger picture all of the time. Sometimes it just took a gentle reminder from someone unexpected.

"Thank you," Annie said. "And thank you for listening. You're the first person I told all of that to."

Finnick smiled and his thumb brushed lightly over the skin on her face. "Thank you, then. I appreciate you telling me." He leaned in then and it took Annie just a brief second to realize what he was doing before she leaned in herself, letting their lips meet. This kiss felt just as great as their first had in his car a few nights before, but in some ways felt even better. The other had left her wanting more as it came to an end, but this left her craving more even as it was still happening. It took hardly any time for her to get lost in the kiss, in the feel of his lips on hers, and eventually the feel of his tongue on hers as he coaxed her mouth open. Hours could have passed and she would have been perfectly content, but eventually it did have to come to an end and they broke apart.

They studied one another in silence for just a moment before either of them spoke, smiles playing on their lips. Annie still wasn't sure what was happening here and if maybe she was just dreaming her good fortune. If it was a dream, though, she hoped that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

"Let's swim," she finally said, giving him a grin.

"Okay," Finnick agreed and then, without warning, nudged her shoulder just hard enough so she fell off the edge of the boat and into the water. She shrieked as her body hit the cold ocean water, but after she plunged under the water and then broke the surface, she just laughed.

"You'll regret that, Finnick Odair" Annie promised, pushing her wet hair back as she tread the water.

He grinned at her as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Oh, I have no doubt, Annie Cresta," he replied, then jumped into the water himself with a splash.

* * *

_Some questions have been answered! There are still plenty of questions about both Finnick and Annie's past that they will discover about one another in coming chapters, I promise._

_I also want to apologize for just how long this chapter took to come out. I had it halfway done for a while, but then the holidays hit and immediately after I was struck with some kind of terrible illness that has left me wanting to do nothing but sleep and cough. I'm still battling it, but I wanted badly to get this up!_

_Thank you again for reading! You guys are all amazing. As always, reviews are beyond appreciated. I hope you all had a happy holiday if you celebrated and will have an amazing new year!_


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